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President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö attended the opening ceremony of the UN climate change conference in Paris on Monday 30 November 2015 and a Leaders’ Event on the opening day. More than 140 heads of state and government attended the opening ceremony.
The goal of the conference is to sign a new, global, legally binding climate agreement to cover the future beyond 2020. The agreement will complement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its purpose is to lay down the means of limiting the increase in the average global temperature to a maximum of two degrees Celsius in comparison to the pre-industrial age.
President Niinistö leads the Finnish delegation and deliver Finland’s statement at the Leaders’ Event. The Vice Chairmen of the delegation are Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen and Finland’s Principal Negotiator, Senior Environmental Adviser Harri Laurikka from the Ministry of the Environment. The delegation also includes Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka and Minister of Justice and Employment Jari Lindström. The climate conference will continue in Paris until 11 December.